Represents a Public Safety or Public Health

¶ … represents a public safety or public health issue?

I believe that this scenario presents both a public safety and a public health issue. Public safety issues involve any issue of public safety. Generally, public safety is going to be the realm of departments like the police, EMS, and public transportation individuals (Web Finance, 2012). However, public health is part of public safety, since any health risks necessarily impair the safety of the people at risk. Moreover, this particular issue necessarily involves safety issues and would require activities by those outside of the traditional public health realms. "Public Health is the science and art of protecting and improving the health of communities through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles, and research for disease and injury prevention" (What is Public Health?, 2012). Health is necessarily part of safety. Moreover, in this particular scenario, when the threat to health was the result of a traffic issue, one sees overlap between the two fields. Improving public health in this scenario would necessarily mean improving public safety and would require cooperation from those in charge of public safety.

2. How does this scenario exemplify how the legislative process influences public health?

This scenario demonstrates that the legislative process does not necessarily improve public health. None of the opponents of the speed bumps seem to have suggested that installing the speed bumps would have a negative impact on public health or public safety. In fact, it appears that the only evidence presented to the Neighborhood Council was that the speed bumps would increase public health and public safety. However, it points out that health and safety considerations are not the only issues that legislative bodies have to consider when considering public health or safety issues. Instead, they have to consider the impact that the health and safety measures would have on other parts of life. There is some trade-off between health and safety and other issues, like financial considerations and freedom. While it may seem like impairing traffic flow and risking suspension damage to vehicles may seem like minor considerations when compared to the potential of loss of life and health, the reality is that life and health are monetized on a regular basis. It is standard for people to monetize the value of life. From a specifically mathematical point-of-view, one can compare the financial risks of not installing the speed bumps to the financial risks of installing the speed bumps.

In addition, it is important to consider that legislatures are called upon to consider competing interests in many capacities. One could limit freedoms significantly and increase public health. However, Americans, as a whole, are not willing to forego their freedoms in order to increase safety. In a freedom-based democracy, it is inevitable that there will be legal behavior that places people at some degree of risk. It is critical to always realize that there are competing interests.

3. Do you think that the Neighborhood Council should have acted in a different manner on this issue? Explain why or why not.

I do not know if the Neighborhood Council should have acted in a different manner. Speed bumps do slow down some speeders, but truly reckless drivers, particularly those in larger vehicles, can drive just as fast and just as recklessly even when speed bumps are present. I simply do not have enough information to determine whether or not local law enforcement enforces the speeding laws, whether there is a history of injuries towards children, or whether speeding really is a problem in the neighborhood. Having people sign a petition based on their opinions without the underlying factual background to support those opinions is not necessarily persuasive information. That Angie Young's child was injured by a speeder does not mean that speeding is an endemic problem in the neighborhood. It is a significant and serious injury, but the fact of that injury is not enough to establish that all of the neighborhood children are at risk because of the speeders. Given the lack of factual support before the Neighborhood Council and the fact that there was tremendous objection to the speed bumps, the Neighborhood Council made an acceptable decision.

4. What might Angie Young and proponents of the speed bumps have done differently to receive a more favorable response from the Neighborhood Council?

The first thing that the proponents of the speed bumps could have done was go to the Neighborhood Council meeting. Young was clearly able to secure a significant number of signatures on her petition. However, it appears that opponents to the speed bumps greatly outnumbered the proponents at the meeting. Having a greater number of proponents at the meeting would have placed pressure on the Neighborhood Council.

The second thing that the proponents of the speed bump could have done would have been to provide some real evidence before the Neighborhood Council. What percentage of drivers in the neighborhood exceed the speed limit? What is the average number of miles per hour by which they exceed the speed limit? What percentage of speeding drivers receive speeding tickets? How many injuries or accidents have occurred because of speeding in the last five years? What has been the financial cost of these injuries/accidents? What has been the other costs (human life, injuries, time) of these injuries? What would the costs for these speed bumps be? Would they be located throughout the neighborhood? How would these speed bumps impact local business? What is the possible cost in damages to vehicles for people who are going at the stated speed limit? As a member of the Neighborhood Council, I would want to have this factual information available in order to determine the appropriate way to resolve the issue. One cannot underestimate the power of factual support for a claim. For example, the U.S. Supreme Court had previously determined that segregation was legal under the 14th Amendment under the idea of "separate but equal." It was not until the NAACP was able to provide substantial factual information supporting their claim that separate facilities were inherently unequal that segregation became illegal. Keeping that in mind, the role of factual support for an argument becomes very clear.

5. What options for political influence might a person pursue in an effort to change public health policy?